Wednesday, June 5, 2013

marathon training schedule

Alright here's my training schedule. I was able to run 6 miles without a problem before I started training BUT even if you can't do that, it's still possible! Just gradually increase your distance every time. You can even alternate between running and walking. If you're new to running, alternate 2 minutes of running, and 1 minute of walking. If you're more experienced, maybe run a mile and walk for a minute. This is the beauty of training- you can do it however you want! You could also use this to train for a half marathon (13.1 miles) but I would suggest maybe doing the first 5 weeks twice, depending on when your race is and your running capabilities. I adapted this from fitsugar.com but they had the long runs on Saturdays. That wasn't gonna fly with me. If you're a more trained runner, feel free to skip to about week 4 or 5. That's what I did at least. Also, you can switch which days you do certain runs just make sure the mileage per week remains the same. However, check to make sure you're resting/cross training the day before and after your long runs to give your muscles adequate time to recover. Sorry it's a little blurry...

Save this image and print it off or make sure to write it down. I can't stress enough how much more motivated I was to work out when I knew that I had to. If you write it into your daily schedule, it forces you to keep that commitment you made to yourself. Like I said before, do what works for you. That being said, feel free to switch up the days or vary the mileage slightly to fit your needs. As for cross training, some days I just took off to rest, other days I did simple activities like yoga or the elliptical. Sometimes I would do the stair stepper when I was feeling ambitious. Most weeks, however, I just did some of the weight training workouts from the Nike Training Club app (it's free!). I did a combination of the "Get Focused" workouts where you can choose to work your legs, back, abs, arms, or butt.And in case you need any further motivation: